AIDC will leave Melbourne after 11 editions, with the documentary and factual industry gathering heading to New South Wales in March 2027.

The Australian International Documentary Conference is moving to Sydney for its 40th anniversary, marking the first time the major documentary and factual industry event has been staged in New South Wales in more than two decades.

AIDC 2027 will run March 8-11 across three Sydney cultural institutions — the Art Gallery of New South Wales, State Library of NSW and Botanic Gardens of Sydney — with Screen NSW joining as principal partner. 

The move ends an 11-edition run in Melbourne and represents a significant shift for an event that has become a key meeting point for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioners, broadcasters, streamers, distributors, festivals and funding bodies. AIDC was first staged in McLaren Vale, South Australia, in 1987 and has previously travelled around the country, including a Sydney edition in 1993. 

AIDC CEO and creative director Natasha Gadd said bringing the conference to Sydney placed the event in the city with Australia’s largest concentration of documentary and factual practitioners, production companies and industry buyers.

“As AIDC celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2027, we are thrilled to be ushering in our next chapter in the heart of Sydney,” Gadd said.

“At this time of significant change for our sector, funding from Screen NSW will support AIDC to continue to enhance the broader documentary and factual ecosystem and to create vital opportunities for truth telling, diverse perspectives and bold storytelling.” 

The 2027 program will again combine the creative and commercial sides of nonfiction production, with sessions covering craft, business and innovation alongside screenings, networking events and professional development programs.

Its marketplace will feature a central pitching forum, curated meetings and roundtables designed to connect producers with potential commissioners, buyers and funding partners. An online international marketplace will follow on March 23-24, allowing international industry representatives to participate remotely in producer-decision maker meetings. 

The move comes at a difficult time for parts of the Australian documentary and factual sector, with Walkley Award-winning journalist and Stuff the British Stole creator Marc Fennell arguing that industry gatherings have become increasingly important in the current commissioning environment.

“AIDC is one of those rare events that genuinely matters to our industry,” Fennell said. “It’s the only event in Australia completely dedicated to the art, craft and business of documentary and factual storytelling.”

Fennell added that in what is “frankly, a bloody tough market,” connections between filmmakers, commissioners, buyers and funding partners were “more vital than ever.”

“I’ve loved the Melbourne pilgrimage, but I’m incredibly excited to see AIDC come to Sydney and connect our huge community of documentary and factual makers with the international industry, which will no doubt ensure more Australian stories find audiences around the world.” 

Screen NSW executive director Kylie Munnich said the conference provided an opportunity for practitioners, commissioners and buyers to both collaborate and consider the future of the sector.

“Documentary and factual storytelling is vital and timely, sparking conversations and offering new and different world views for audiences,” Munnich said. “AIDC is an essential opportunity for practitioners, buyers, commissioners and partners to come together and set priorities for the sector, collaborate and future-proof the industry as it evolves.” 

Northern Pictures head of factual Karina Holden, whose credits include Love on the Spectrum and Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight, also welcomed the move after more than two decades of involvement with AIDC.

“Bringing AIDC to Sydney feels like an exciting new chapter, and I can’t wait to welcome storytellers from across the country to a city where so many of us work and create, but rarely get the chance to come together as one community,” Holden said. 

During its 11 editions in Melbourne, AIDC says it welcomed 7,890 delegates and generated more than A$26 million in economic impact. Since 2019, its development initiatives have supported more than 350 projects and unlocked more than A$3.4 million in development funding, placements and prizes. Its marketplace has supported more than 1,850 projects and facilitated 5,154 meetings through 100 pitching initiatives. 

Past international participants have included representatives from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount, National Geographic, BBC and CBC, alongside Australian broadcasters and platforms including ABC, SBS and Stan. 

The first lineup of speakers and industry representatives for AIDC 2027 will be announced in October, with the full program due in late January. Early-bird registration is now open. 

AIDC 2027 will take place March 8-11 in Sydney, followed by its online international marketplace March 23-24.